Different kinds of bomb
shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of hostile explosives.
Air raid shelter An
air raid shelter is a structure built to protect against bomber planes dropping bombs over a large area. These were commonly seen during
World War II, such as the "
Anderson shelters" of the United Kingdom.
Fallout shelter A
fallout shelter is a shelter designed specifically for a
nuclear war, with thick walls made from materials intended to block the radiation from
fallout resulting from a
nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the
Cold War. A
blast shelter protects against more conventional bomb blasts. Its main purpose is to protect from
shock waves and
overpressure and also from
earthquake.
Bunker While these forms of bomb shelters are equally amenable to civilians and military use, a
bunker is more commonly associated with military use. A bunker may be hastily assembled as part of an ongoing military advance, or to hold a line. Bunkers have also been popular with the
survivalism subculture. ==History==